


Stone by Stone

by sugarshackpeasant



Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: Book 7: Flashback, Canon Rewrite, Fix-It, Gen, Sophie kills Alvar in Flashback, flashback AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:07:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29706585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarshackpeasant/pseuds/sugarshackpeasant
Summary: Sophie kills Alvar in Flashback.
Relationships: Sophie Foster/Keefe Sencen
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Stone by Stone

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like it.

**Stone by Stone**

* * *

_I don’t want to lose you._ Fitz blew out a breath of air and everyone went silent, waiting for what would happen next. But something shifted the longer he stood there indecisively. Keefe and Biana subtly nodded at each other and positioned themselves to be able to hold Fitz back. But… _why should we hold him back?_ , Sophie thought, surprising herself. The darkest parts of her that she didn’t like to acknowledge had risen to the surface and it was almost like they had been there all along. Fitz raised the dagger and Sophie watched as Biana tackled him to the ground. Keefe stood there studying Sophie carefully as if he knew what she was thinking. Linh ripped the dagger out of Fitz’s shaking hands and wordlessly handed it to Sophie.

And Sophie knew what everyone expected her to do. The Neverseen and even her friends expected her to slip the knife into her boot and carry on with their plan that would inevitably fail. But she didn’t want to lose. Not again. And who ever won a war from playing defensively. Her earlier words to Fitz echoed in her ears, _‘But this isn’t fighting back, this is pre-emptive murder.’_ Did it really matter? The Neverseen didn’t play by those rules and they always seemed to be one step ahead of her. _‘I suspect the moonlark could tear these halls down stone by stone if she truly unleashed herself.’_ Maybe it was time to tear down everything stone by stone. The Neverseen had said it themselves, they had a way to trigger Alvar’s memories. What would happen if she just sat back and did nothing? What would happen to everyone she cared about if she let him live? This was her chance to take down their enemy.

All eyes turned to Sophie when she didn’t put the knife down. Instead she held it loosely at her side. The blade was starting to dig into her palm and she could feel the blood dripping down onto her clothes. Fitz started to say something but Biana clasped her scar-covered hand over his mouth. Her scars seemed to be glowing in the light and flashes of Biana passed out on the floor bleeding out with jagged shards of glass embedded into her frail body entered Sophie’s mind. How many times would the Neverseen hurt them? _Come on, Sophie._ Fitz transmitted. _This has to end. Aren’t you tired of losing every time?_

“It seems like the moonlark is having second thoughts,” Gethen said. “Maybe she’s finally understanding what the Vacker boy was beginning to.” And Sophie knew that she was doing what the Neverseen wanted. But no one actually expected her to do it. And that was why she was pretty sure that she had to.

“Sophie,” Linh said uncertainly. “Don’t do this.” Keefe looked over at Sophie as if he was seeing her for the first time. The way he looked at her was refreshing and it made her feel raw and exposed. Alvar had been trying to recruit Keefe back in Alluveterre. He had encouraged Keefe to join the Neverseen. But she felt like she needed something else if she was going to _kill_ Alvar. She needed someone other than Fitz who was consumed by his hatred for his estranged brother to approve of her plan. She needed someone who was thinking rationally that agreed with her. She needed Keefe. So she opened her mind to his. Keefe’s thoughts filled her mind and he smiled sadly at her. _I think you should do it. But whatever you decide, I’ll support you._ And it seemed like Keefe’s confirmation made all the difference. But before she closed her mind to his, she heard Keefe think, _I’ll always support you, Foster._ Her cheeks heated up and she looked down at Alvar to cover them up. He was lying on the floor and when she tried to conjure up some emotion to convince her that he deserved to live she found nothing. He didn’t deserve her sympathy and it wasn’t mercy coursing through her veins. It was only anger.

There was nothing left that could hold her back. And maybe that meant that she was finally ready. Alvar had helped kidnap her and Dex, he had helped torture Wylie, and he was part of why Calla had to die. He was irredeemable. He had done horrible things and she wasn’t going to let him do any more. So she lowered the knife and when everyone sighed in relief she locked eyes with Keefe and took her chance. _Stone by stone,_ she thought. And with a slight quiver in her gloved hand she lunged forward.

“Sophie, what are you doing?!” Biana cried out.

And before anyone could stop her, she slit Alvar’s throat. “Changing the game.” In a pool of his own blood, she watched Alvar go limp. 


End file.
